


Forever Unequal

by JJLives



Category: RWBY
Genre: Alternate Universe - Historical, F/F
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-12-21
Updated: 2018-12-24
Packaged: 2019-09-24 02:47:44
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 15,427
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17092604
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/JJLives/pseuds/JJLives
Summary: What if the Great War ended not in a step forward in equality but had forced progress backwards. With faunus as slaves what would happen to a solitary young huntress suddenly finding herself to be what she most despised? Historical AU





	1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I do not own any RWBY characters nor am I affiliated with the show or it's creators

Chapter 1

The heat of the sun beat down mercilessly, stealing all the moisture the land could spare, and more. The tall grass beside the path I was walking kept brushing my bare forearm, their dry blades slicing tiny gashes along my unprotected skin. The path was no more comfortable in the heat as crevaces formed on its surface, as if hundreds of beasts had run across puncturing the earth with their claws. The cracks and the deep grooves worn down by decades or more of heavy carts passing through on the way to market, all added to the danger of the road. One misstep and I could break an ankle, and that was not something I needed added to my day.

Missions were so much easier when disposing of Grimm. I preferred the monotony of slaying beasts to chasing down thieves and murderers. For one, Grimm were fairly easy to track in the wild. They left marks wherever they went, broken branches, claw marks, a trail of destruction. They weren't the most sleuthy of living things. Plus, they came to me more often than me having to chase them down. Sure, they could be quite large and fairly strong at times, but that just ensured I got a good work out.

Another perk of hunting Grimm instead of the criminals I found myself tracking today, was that a Grimm couldn't just wander into a city or village and basically disappear.

I looked up to the gates suddenly towering over me. The village of Murk. How appropriately named. This was where cutthroats, mercenaries and thieves came to sell their prizes, pick up more contracts and spend their ill gotten gains. I never cared for Murk. In all my travels, it still remains my least favourite spot on the map. There was nowhere else their tracks could have led though. They had to be here. Even in my dehydrated state I wouldn't have missed the signs of them turning off the path.

"Move it!"

A rough voice rose up behind me. I looked back and had just enough time to step further off the path to miss being run down by a massive horse pulling an even larger cart. I glared at the driver, though he didn't seem to mind my anger. He whipped the horse on the flank as he passed and I heard the indignant snort of the animal as he did. At least I wasn't the only one to dislike the man. Maybe the horse would get a chance to kick the brute in the head. The thought cheered me up only long enough to see what the merchant was transporting.

It was evident why the cart needed such a large beast pulling it as it passed me. The frame itself wasn't all that large, but the thick metal bars that made up the walls and even the roof of it looked to weigh the same as a small Goliath. A quick look inside had my blood boiling once again.

There was one other type of power hungry beast that came to Murk to perform their business transactions; slave traders. And if there was anyone I hated more than murderers, it was them.

The dust kicked up behind the cart and cast a shadow over the dozen or so living creatures in the cage. I was unable to see any of them clearly but from their postures, huddling together, and the slightness of their frames they all looked weak, and terrified.

I looked down at the pain I felt in my right hand to find I had dug my nails so far into the flesh of my palm the tiny crescent indentations were bleeding. I relaxed my fist and took a steadying breath. There was nothing I could do for those unfortunate souls, but I did have a job to do. Maybe I could take my anger out on the ones I was chasing. Normally, I wouldn't use any extraneous force to complete a mission but I suddenly found myself in need of some tension release.

I forced my feet to carry me between the stone pillars of the open gate. One guard eyed me as I passed and I redoubled my effort of keeping the emotions from visibly showing on my features. Someone on the inside would be waiting to exploit anything they could pick up on from me. Weakness would attract the thieves and traders of illegal goods and too much strength would surely catch the attention of some man wanting to prove something.

The smell of human waste, rotten food scraps and thousands of unwashed bodies stewing in the heat of the day assailed my senses the second I was within the village walls. I felt my nose twitch involuntarily in protest. I continued walking further into the rats den, counting my steps to keep my mind off the stench. I received more than a few looks from the men I passed, but I was just glad none acted on whatever was going through their minds. Causing a scene would not help me find my targets.

I came to a run down, hole in the wall bar. I pushed the door, hanging from one hinge, and it creaked open. A cursory look around showed what I was expecting. A bunch of dirty men sat at the small wooden tables drinking their few lien worth of savings away. I kept my eye on the half dozen men as I made my way to the rear of the establishment and took a seat, my back to the wall.

I watched the two fairly pretty girls taking turns bringing the men their drinks, trying to escape with the least amount of groping as was possible. I had to admit, they didn't fair very well. These men didn't appear to have enough lien to afford an experienced women, from one of the many houses littering the street, that specialized in the pleasures of the flesh. They seemed content to take their fill of touching the young barmaids without needing to dip into their drinking funds.

One of the young women noticed me in my shadowed corner. Her posture softened when she realized I was a woman and not another groping man. She made her way to me, weaving in and out of the tables crammed into the small space. Her hair was a light fawn colour, pinned up haphazardly atop her head. Many tendrils were already falling out of place, brushing the sides of her face and back of her neck. She had a slight frame but rounded features where it counted and she knew how to dress to accentuate her positive attributes and to hide her more unfortunate ones. Her shirt was low cut, showing off more skin than was needed of a bar wench, and she wore the tallest pair of heels I'd ever seen. Sure, it might give the impression she had any sort of ass, but there was no way those were worth the pain they obviously caused. She swiped at her skirts trying to get rid of the wrinkles and smudges that dirty hands left behind. When she finally looked up to ask for my order her smile vanished just as quickly as it had appeared.

"Oh," she stepped back, surprised.

"Hello, Jade, was it?" I asked when it was evident she was in no hurry to do anything more than stare at me. She nodded in answer, gripping the fabric of her skirts, wrinkling them more than the men had already done. "Is he here?"

She looked to the back room and I followed her gaze. A faint light could be seen through the crack at the bottom of the door. She looked back at me and nodded again. Sick of this game I rose my brow, knowing she could see the irritation in my eyes.

"Yes," she finally spoke.

"Can you tell him I'm here? Or should I go interrupt whatever is going on in that room?"

"I-I'll go get him." She stammered.

"Good girl." I encouraged as she rushed passed me. I watched as she knocked and slipped through the door when it opened. The door shut behind her sealing her from view.

A few minutes passed before the door opened again. Jade emerged and returned to me quickly.

"He won't be a minute." She made to continue on her way, in a hurry to return to the groping calloused hands of the men now that she knew the options were them or to stay with me.

"Could you get me a water before you disappear?" I asked, wincing at how hoarse my voice came out.

She didn't respond but returned quickly with a mug full of cold water. I grabbed for it almost before Jade had fully set it down in front of me. I drank half of it in one gulp. The liquid burned, forcing its way down my dry, closed up throat.

I spent the next minute or two sipping at the liquid before the door to the back room opened again. I rolled my eyes seeing him tuck his shirt back into his pants as another young woman adjusted the fabric of her own clothing behind his underwhelming frame.

"Well, if it isn't my favourite- Uh." He looked to the rest of his patrons, making sure he hadn't captured anyones attention with his entrance. "Um, customer." He finished when it became evident the other men's attentions were captured more strongly by women and booze than him.

"Don't flatter yourself, B.K." I responded, keeping my voice low. "I wouldn't be caught dead in this place if you didn't have your uses."

He sat across from me with grunt. His black hair hung to his shoulders in a matted greasy mess. The clothes he wore were spattered with stains I didn't even want to start to decipher. He smiled and I counted three teeth in view that were missing. My nose twitched again as he leaned over the table separating us.

"What can I do for you today?" He asked, dropping his own voice an octave. "Having a huntress in my bar isn't the best for business."

"Then let's make this quick." I stated, pulling out my scroll and turning it on. I flicked through the file on my current mission until two pictures popped up. I turned the scroll towards B.K. "I'm looking for these two men. You know them?"

"Hmmm," He reached out to grab my scroll and I pulled it away, shooting him a sharp look. "Apologies, was just trying to get a closer look." When I didn't offer it to him he leaned forward, further, over the table, nose an inch from the lit up screen of my scroll.

"You need to get yourself some glasses B.K."

"Nonsense. Yeah I've seen them before. They come around once every couple weeks."

"You got any names?" I asked, tucking my scroll back into the inner pocket of my overcoat.

"Who knows."

I leaned back into the wall behind me and eyed him. "You don't know?"

"Nobody knows anyone's name here," he stated. "You know that better than anyone."

I stared blankly at the smudge of soot on his nose but didn't make any indication I even heard him.

"But," he continued, sensing my displeasure. "Those two are known to go by the names of Ash and Drake."

I nodded, having read those names in the file. At least I knew B.K. was telling the truth and had the correct two guys in mind.

"Where can I find them?" I swept the bar with my eyes quickly.

"They haven't been around in weeks, must have been on a large job." B.K. also looked over his shoulder, making sure we weren't being overheard. "And if they have returned from a big job their pockets will be full of lien. Just so happens there's only one place those two enjoy spending it when in town."

"Cut to the chase." I said impatiently. I wanted out of this bar. I wanted out of this town.

"Madam Petal's Fine House of Whores." He whispered dramatically and smirked. I knew he was trying to get a reaction out of me. It wasn't going to work. I finished my mug of water, feeling the headache caused by the heat dissipating.

"Thanks." I threw a few lien on the table between us and stood. I knew I didn't need to pay him. I had enough dirt on him I could easily turn him in for a small payday for myself any day I wanted. But the miniscule gesture was a very small price to pay for keeping him happy thinking it was a mutual arrangement.

"Are you never going to tell me your name?" He asked, looking up at me from his chair.

"I'll tell you mine if you tell me yours." I challenged.

"You already know it Honey, it's B.K." He instantly caught his mistake. He flinched and raised his arms, palms held out to me in surrender.

"Right," I dismissed. "You call me that or any other pet name again-"

"I won't."

Nodding my head at his earnest tone I made my way out of the bar.

Madam Petal's was not far away from B.K.'s bar. I made my way there, in a hurry to get the missions objective over with. I wanted to get out of Murk. It was already making my skin itch just being here.

The sun was just starting to set as I found a decent vantage point to observe the people going in and out of the pleasure house. I tucked myself into a small alcove, leaning up against the outer wall of the building across the road. It was hours before Ash and Drake made an appearance but even with my stiff limbs I silently thanked B.K. for pulling through. They were obviously drunk. They had to lean on each other to even stay upright and were speaking in hushed tones, although their voices carried across the road and into my hiding spot. They were wearing the same outfits the pictures in the file showed them in. Both wore black leather jackets, worn in spots to a faded gray. Ash wore a green bandana on his head, keeping his greasy hair from his face. Drake's one pant leg had torn at his knee and it was obvious at some point he had just hacked it off, making him look ridiculous.

"And then, then that sq-" Ash hiccoughed. "Squirrly one turned to you and begged." They both burst out laughing.

Drake tumbled to his knees as he lost his balance. When he finally struggled to his feet he swore. "Damn it, I'm bleeding." He said looking to his bare knee. A fresh trail of red liquid ran down his leg, disappearing into his boot.

"I see you got started without me." I said loudly, stepping out of the shadows.

They both looked up and their eyes widened. They grabbed for their weapons, both struggling to unsheath them. I laughed, eyeing their pathetic attempts to protect themselves. This was going to be too easy.

"W-w-what d-do you w-want." Ash stuttered.

I gasped. "I'm offended." I held a hand to cover my heart. "Don't tell me you don't know who I am?" I questioned, stalking forward slowly. I don't think they even noticed me advancing until I was only ten or so feet from them. They looked to each other before returning their confused gazes back to me. "Well, I know who you are, and I guess that's all that matters in the end."

I stepped forward again and Ash lifted his curved sword up higher. Drake took a step back but lifted his cut off shotgun to level it at my head.

"If you're going to attack, do it." I goaded. "The anticipation is just killing me."

They shared one more look before Drake pulled the trigger. I almost didn't even have to dodge it, he was that bad of a shot. I stepped forward and Ash was on me. At least he kept some of his skills. I smiled and made eye contact with him as he swung down at me and it caused him to flinch. It was easy to side step and reach passed his sword to knock it out of his hand as I grasped his wrist and spun him to place him in front of me, blocking Drake's next shot. Drake fired anyway, whether he didn't see Ash or didn't care I don't know. Ash's aura flickered and disappeared before he went limp in my arms. I let him fall shaking my head. Drake pulled the trigger a third time but this time I was close enough to tip the barrel up, smashing it into his nose. The ignited dust flared up into the night sky, lighting up the roofs of the nearby buildings. Drake howled as he dropped his weapon to bring both his hands to his broken nose.

I looked to Drake's weapon in my hand, astonished. Wow, were these guys stupid or what? The alcohol must have really done a number on them.

Drake removed his hands and I saw blood running in rivulets down his chin before they dripped onto the ground in front of him.

"Look at that," I smirked. "Now your face matches your knee."

He lunged at me, growling. I used his own weapon's stock to jab him hard in the gut and he wheezed as the air rushed out of his lungs. I brought my other arm up to strike him and he fell limply to the ground.

I bent over to rub the back of my hand on his jacket, wiping his blood off. Another reason I preferred hunting Grimm, they didn't bleed when I striked them. I tucked the shot gun and the sword through my belt and lifted both of the fallen men to their feet by the collars of their jackets.

My eyes met a couple bystanders as I shoved the two men down the street to the jail house. Most people hadn't even stopped at the small commotion we made and the ones that did quickly averted their eyes.

They struggled only when the jail house came into view. I don't know where they thought I was taking them up until that point. Once the paperwork was filled out, the men behind bars and their weapons marked for evidence then destruction was I able to make my exit.

Overall, it had gone more smoothly once I entered Murk than prior to arriving. That never happened. When I walked through the gates I was expecting to have to stay more than one night within its walls. I was excited to get out of here. I'd rather camp on the road than in the middle of all these criminals. I would probably be safer cuddling up to a Death Stalker than staying in Murk for the night, especially after I'd been seen arresting two of the deviants comrades.

Half the citizens were already safely behind their locked doors when I stepped back onto the street and the other half were mostly drunk, so no one paid any attention to me as I made my way back towards the main gate. As I passed the main courtyard I noticed the same cart that nearly ran me down earlier. The driver was missing from his perch, more than likely spending his commision of the sale in the bar or whore houses. The horse was presumably stalled for the night and the cold steel of the bars held nothing but the night air.

A part of me was glad the sale had taken place while I was busy staking out Madam Petal's. I'd always hated the inhuman practice of owning another living thing. Subconsciously, It was probably part of the reason why I'd never gotten a pet, even in my solitude. No I much preferred to keep to myself, lonely though it was at times, to being responsible for ownership of something.

Picturing my cottage nestled in the secluded corner of the wilds I'd claimed as my own made me homesick. With any luck the trek home wouldn't be too harsh and I would arrive late the next day. I could get a few days of rest before having to take up another mission. Things in Anima were not calming down. There were always criminals to chase down and the Grimm were ever present around the borders of civilization. It was thankless job some days, but it's what I signed up for. I couldn't just not do something when I knew I was capable where others weren't or refused to be.

I left the slave cart behind me, focussing on the journey ahead. I was still in the middle of a village I had no right letting my mind wander in. Just because most of the inhabitants seemed to be more pleasantly engaged didn't mean there wasn't someone willing to take out a lone huntress. This being a place where hunters and huntresses were the main disruption in the black market trades, meant there was never a shortage of targets on my own back.

I focussed again on the alcoves and alleyways I passed, readying myself for a surprise attack from their black depths. A racket from one alley caught my attention. A sinister gravelled voice reached my ears and it sent a shiver down my spine. I couldn't make out his words as the distance between us was too great but I know whatever he was saying wasn't anything good. He had a great Ursa bulk of a body with arms that were nearly the size of my waist. He was leaning down but his fist was raised at the ready. Noticing he wasn't paying me any mind, I would normally continue on my way, but my own curiosity got the better of me.

I stepped silently into the alley, making sure no one else noticed my abrupt change in direction. I saw no one move to follow so I took a few tentative steps further into the darkness. The gargantuan man didn't notice my approach and I was able to get within a dozen feet of him before I paused.

"Get up," he growled sternly, swinging his open hand to the ground in front of him. It was only then, as I followed his hands movement, that I noticed there was someone cowering on the ground before him. It was a tiny waif of skin and bones and as the man's hand connected with the poor creatures head I wasn't surprised to see them thrown several feet. They landed face down on the cobblestone. One reed thin arm rose a skeletal hand to cover the lump that had to be forming at the back of its head, but it still wasn't obeying the large man's demand.

"I said, get up!" He voiced louder and the tiny sprawled out creature flinched. His boot shot out and kicked the smaller body in the stomach before he reached down, grabbing a fistful of hair and tugging it up forcefully. The creature was lifted and held up against the wall. "Worthless piece of shit."

I felt a familiar warmth rise up from deep in my belly. It spread into my chest before creeping its way down each limb. Within seconds each of my fingers and toes were burning with the familiar pain that accompanied my anger. I stepped to move around the man, who had yet to notice me, when I met a pair of golden orbs looking at me curiously.

No candles or lamps were set up in the alley, it was nearly pitch black, but I froze in my tracks entranced by the faint light dancing behind her eyes. Because even with sunken eye sockets and minimal curves, the lack of nutrition caused, it was still very evident that the creature was female.

Only when the man slammed her up against the building did she wince, and I snapped out of my stupor.

"What's going on here?" I asked, grabbing the man's elbow stopping his fist from connecting with her gut.. He wrenched his arm from my grip and glared sideways at me.

"None of your business," he spat. "Now get lost."

He ripped his hand from her hair and instead wrapped it around her throat. Her already thin neck was dwarfed in comparison to his sausage like fingers. The girl tried to get away from his hand, obviously not liking his touch on her bare skin, but the wall was still firmly pressed to her back.

"Sorry, no can do." I responded stepping closer to the smaller girl, trying to get a good angle to remove him from her throat without causing her more harm. "When a man starts hitting a woman I just can't let it go so easily." I spoke evenly, though my anger was still causing me to see red in the corners of my vision. "You understand that, right?"

"This ain't no woman, she's a slave." He stated. "My slave." He emphasized his ownership. "Even if she wasn't worth the lien I paid, she's my property and I'll do with her what I please."

I looked to the girl still pinned to the wall. She did look emaciated like most slaves I had come in contact with. I tried to not keep company with people that owned slaves, but in Anima, it was nearly impossible to go out in public and not at least see a handful of them. Her hair was black and hung just passed her shoulders. It was unevenly cut as if it had been sliced off with a dull blade held by an inexperienced hand. The clothes she wore were no better than a sack really, covering just enough to barely be decent, and it was stained with dirt and what looked like blood. Her shoes had multipple holes and looked to be a couple sizes too small. Taking in her drab appearance she could easily have been a slave but, looking her over once more, I didn't see any physical features indicating she was a Faunus.

That didn't particularly mean anything. Faunus sometimes had features that were easily hidden. I'd heard of one with chameleon traits that had lived as a human, she'd attended school and had even married and no one suspected a thing until a child she bore had been born with horns.

"What are you, the police?" He asked exasperated with my constant presence.

"Kind of, yeah." I stated, pulling out my scroll and showing him my huntress identification.

He sighed. "Do you need to see my ownership papers?" I glared at him but didn't retreat. "If you don't want to see them, could you move along?" He lifted his arm to wave me off. "The first twelve hours are important to a slaves conditioning, and this one has more than most to learn."

He ran one calloused finger down her jawline and she jerked her head away from his touch. He pulled her away from the wall and slammed her back into it. The sharp crack of her head hitting the stone behind her, had me wincing.

"You will not pull away when I touch you. You won't move until I tell you you can." He said firmly. But when he repeated the process it looked like the girl couldn't help the involuntary jerk of her head once more. She tensed even as her body withdrew from him, knowing another strike was incoming. I couldn't blame her, I'd want to get away from his touch as well.

"Do you even understand what I'm saying? I can't believe I paid good money for defective product." He mumbled angrily.

I knew I wasn't legally able to do anything. She was his property and as such if he wanted to stand here and beat her to death he could. The law would be on his side.

It was an unfortunate consequence of the Great War, slavery. It was supposed to have been a step forward in equality, but like all passed wars, equality was defined by the victor, and the Faunus had chosen the wrong allies. Having established settlements in Anima long before humans had ever stepped foot on the continent had the faunus wanting to keep and protect their ancestral homes, an admirable thought. They fought alongside the humans of Mystral, and were promised freedom and equality to live out their lives in their own, already established settlements. Instead, their homes were taken by force and the Faunus were rounded up and placed on an island to the south of Anima.

I'd heard people in other Kingdoms where I travelled speaking of the island as a gift to the Faunus. But I knew it for what it really was. A farm. A place where the Faunus could build, survive, and breed without the humans needing to pay for the raising and upkeep of their livestock. And once the slaves outlived their use they were either killed or returned to the island.

And since the Great War ended not much had changed for the Faunus species. I couldn't imagine a time that it would have been worse to be one of them. History books painted the Human and Faunus relationship as always strained, but before the Great War they had lived separate and though skirmishes were waged based on land ownership. It baffled me how a War of equality had led to the enslavement of a species that was previously free.

Sure on the other continents Faunus might not be considered outright slaves, but in all Kingdoms their lives were only ever lived in servitude to the human race.

I was brought back to the present when the large man threw the girl into the garbage heap.

"If you won't learn the lessons the easy way, we can try it the hard way." His deep voice sounded as sinister as I'd ever heard anyone speak. He pulled a knife from his belt and stalked towards his crouching prey.

I knew I wasn't allowed to stop him, wasn't allowed to interfere in anyway. But I couldn't stand by and allow him to cut his rules into her flesh until they were learned.

I rushed forward and stepped in front of the girl, blocking his path.

"Move." He growled, pointing his dagger at me.

My mind raced on how I could get both of us out of the situation without all the negative consequences. If I laid a hand on him for doing what was his legal right in this land I could get my Huntress credentials suspended or revoked, I couldn't stand the thought of not being what I'd always dreamed of being. A huntress was all of who I was. Worse still, it was possible for me to be thrown in jail with the criminals I'd put there, and I knew I wouldn't survive that. None of my options seemed to spare me and not one would ensure she would be saved from a beating longer than tonight. She was still his property, after all, and would be back with him as soon as I was taken away.

But I knew the frail girl behind me wouldn't survive if I didn't do something. She'd die in this man's care before the week was up, I was sure of it.

I flung my arm up and knocked the blade out of his hand. It clattered to the stones so loudly I was sure someone would come running to see what was going on, but I was wrong.

The man's eyes looked to his fallen weapon then to me. His glare was menacing.

I reached to my belt and ripped the tethers securing my purse to it. I threw it at the man and he caught it, surprise written on his face.

He untied the straps and looked inside. "What's this for?"

"There's enough in there to buy five of her." I nodded my head behind me to the girl still sitting in the rubbish pile. "Sign over the ownership papers and we'll be on our way."


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

His eyes grew wide as he counted the lien in the purse. Nodding his head he rushed into the door to his right, his house I presumed. I turned around and held out my hand to the smaller girl. She eyed it but didn’t reach to take it. In fact, she didn’t seem too inclined to move from her position, covered in rubbish or not. I reached to pull her up by her arm but she flinched away from my touch. 

The man returned and held a piece of parchment out to me. I looked to make sure he had signed it. Satisfied I tucked the paper into the inner pocket of my overcoat with my scroll. He then handed me some metal cuffs tied together with a rough leather tether about eight feet in length. I tried to wave him off, not wanting them.

“Better take them, if not it may try to run off and if it’s caught it could be executed for escaping.” He explained, being extremely helpful and civil now that his pockets were full of my hard earned lien. “It would be a shame for you to lose it after spending so much on it. Some brutes in this village would love to get their hands on a runaway slave.” As I took the offending item, the metal was cold enough to burn my skin, It would not be at all comfortable to put it on the girl. But the man did make some good points. We would be less likely to be noticed if she left the city the same way the other slaves did, and the last thing I needed was more attention on me.

I decided to put them on her for appearance sakes only until we were well away from Murk, then I would take them off.

Our transaction complete, the man disappeared into his house once more, shutting and locking the door behind him.

I approached the girl again, more cautious than before. She looked up from her knees to meet my gaze. I held up the cuffs and her eyes narrowed as she pulled her arms closer to her body, wrapping them around her middle. She trembled and I knew there was no way I’d get them on her without a fight. Even in the dark I could clearly make out the bruises encircling her tiny, delicate wrists. Sighing, I ran my fingers through my hair, wondering how I was supposed to get her out of the city safely if she wasn’t going to wear the cuffs. 

Getting an idea, I grabbed the knife in my boot, grimacing as she flinched spotting the blade, and cut the strap from the cuffs. I quickly returned the knife to my boot out of her line of sight and stuffed the cuffs into a pocket of my coat. I unbuttoned my overcoat and slipped it off my shoulders, motioning for the girl to stand when she twitched away from my touch once more.

I made a mental note to stop reaching out to her, even if I was just trying to help her. She obviously did not want to be touched, even if she wasn’t voicing her displeasure. 

“If I don’t put them on, and just make it look like you’re shackled, will you promise not to run?” She stared blankly at me but slowly stood. I took it as confirmation. “Okay, we have to at least make it look like you’re wearing them, just until we’re out of Murk.” 

I jumped back, allowing her to step out of the rubbish pile. She took a tentative step forward, just enough to clear the last rotten banana peel to stand on the cobblestone. I smiled at her, hoping to alleviate any of her fear and held out one end of the tether. 

“Hold this.”

She grabbed it, careful not to touch the skin of my hand as she did. 

“Put your wrists together like they are cuffed, please.” I asked softly imitating the gesture with my own wrists. She did so with such a practiced ease I knew she’d spent more time in shackles than out of them.

Stepping forward, I folded the leather in my hands. She shrunk back as I neared but didn’t retreat fully. I placed the coat carefully over her bruised skin, making sure to not touch her in anyway with my own hands. 

I nodded my head approving of my work. This might just work. I stepped back, slowly letting out the rope until there were six feet between us then I gently tugged on my end. Her arms extended before she tentatively let her feet follow. I turned and led her out of the alley.. We emerged onto the main road and I guided us in and out of the people scattered and stumbling through the streets. It wasn’t long before the the towering stone structure came into view. 

I nodded to the soldier and he lifted the gate to let us through. The darkness increased on the other side of the wall and I remembered to step carefully as the cracks in the path would most certainly still be there, waiting to trip me. 

“Watch your step, the road is a war zone with all the heat this week.” I said over my shoulder. She remained silent behind me, not even indicating she’d heard my words.

I’d taken about a dozen steps before I realized the tension on the tether was gone. I turned to look for the girl but she was still hovering the same six feet from my back, although she’d dropped the cord connecting us. She looked down when I met her eyes and held my coat out to me, her not needing it to cover her wrists any longer. I looked to the soft leather then to her tiny frame. An involuntary tremor overtook her body but she still didn’t look up.

“You need that more than I do right now. It’s probably too big, but it’s better than what you’re wearing now.” I pushed the coat away, closer to her own body. 

She looked up at me dubiously, holding the coat out again. I shook my head and turned to continue down the path. I looked back to see her frozen in place. She looked down to the coat in her hands and I saw her thumbs running along the suppleness of the well worn leather.

“You coming?” I asked over my shoulder. She jumped noticeably and rushed to catch up, falling in step behind me once more. A few minutes later I heard the rustling as she slipped into the overcoat but I didn’t look back, not wanting to disturb her.

We walked in silence for the next hour until we reached the fork in the road. To the right would take us to Mystral, a two week journey by foot. The left would take us further into the wilds, and to my homely cottage. I chanced a look behind me as I turned to the left and noticed how the girl’s shoulders sagged and her feet were dragging on the ground. 

I couldn’t imagine how tired she must have been. To be driven through the heat with no escape from the sun, sold at auction and beaten all in one day would take a lot out of the strongest warriors I knew. But to be in the malnourished condition she was in was almost unthinkable. I cursed my selfish actions of being in a hurry to leave Murk. It probably would have been more thoughtful of me to rent a room for the night so she could rest. Too late for that now though.

“Not much further and we can rest.” I said softly, not to startle her. It hadn’t mattered, she jumped and flinched all at the same time at the sound of my voice.

A disapproving tsk left my mouth before I could stop it. This girl was wound tighter than a King Taijitu wrapped around its prey. The sound of my displeasure had her hanging her head further.

I sighed, knowing I was making it all worse. Deciding to drop it I made my way down the path once more. It wasn’t long before we came to a small wildlife trail coming out of the trees. I stepped off the path and ducked under the branch obscuring the trail’s entrance from view. 

Golden eyes looked at me in terror as I turned to make sure she was following. She took a step back and wrapped my coat tighter around her slight frame. 

“Come on,” I whispered holding my hand out to her. She stayed rooted on the path. “What’s wrong?” I asked. 

She looked to the shadowed trail behind me then looked down the path, the direction we’d been travelling, before meeting my eyes briefly once more. 

It wasn’t an answer.

“Can you understand me?” I asked, not knowing if she spoke some other language. 

To be honest. I didn’t know much about the Faunus. I stayed away from slave owners and in that way, never came in contact with them often. The other Kingdoms might not have faunus slaves but most faunus were still treated as such or were kept in the dust mines where they worked. The entirety of what I knew of the species was what I learned in school, and what their masters said about them. I knew I couldn’t really believe either, the latter spouting disdain and hatred and the former was just history written by the victors.

She looked to think my question over. I smiled.

“Okay then, so you understand me,” Her head shot up surprised I knew the answer before she’d answered. “So, you just don’t want to talk to me?”

She stared down at my boots as a very well rehearsed blank look covered her features. I knew a withdrawn expression when I saw it. I knew I could overpower her and drag her into the tree covered path but I really didn’t want to resort to that. It felt too much like the man that had mishandled her only a few short hours ago.

I raked my fingers through my hair thinking.

“I can’t leave you out here alone all night, for one you’ll probably freeze to death before morning.” 

She still seemed determined to stay out of the woods.

I racked my brain to think of why she’d not want to enter. There wasn’t anything that was in the woods that weren’t in the open, besides…

“Is it the Grimm?” Her spine straightened at their name. I’d definitely take that as a yes.

“Don’t worry, a few Grimm are definitely nothing to worry about.” I tried to be reassuring but she refused to look at me. “Besides, “ I continued. “In my experience it’s the humans that will travel in the open, like that path-“ I tilted my head to the ground she was so unwilling to leave. “That are more dangerous than any Grimm I’ve come across.”

She met my eyes at that comment.

“Grimm are noisy and predictable, but humans are devious and can be altogether more of a threat, as an enemy can appear friendly if they want.” She took a small step forward and looked to be considering my points. “I’m not going to let anything happen to us.”

I think the threat of me not staying in the open so she would have to be alone weighed more on her decision than her trust in me saying I’d protect her but she followed me further down the path, deeper into the foliage.

We came to a very small clearing, about forty feet in diameter. I motioned for her to stay put and dashed into the woods on the other side. I returned with my pack I’d hidden earlier that day, before I’d entered Murk. It was evident she was not comfortable or in approval of the setting as her eyes flashed through the darkness surrounding her, like a rodent searches for predators before emerging from the safety of their burrow.

Her eyes shifted to me as I came back into the clearing. Again, I was amazed that they seemed to glow even in the dim light of the stars above. She looked so tiny swimming in my coat and I felt a strong urge to protect her. I guess it was similar to what made me step in and stop the man from beating her earlier, but somehow it felt different looking at her in this light.

I motioned for her to follow me and brought her to the small fire pit I’d made on my previous travels in the area. Like I said, I didn’t stay in Murk if I could help it. Reaching into my pack, I pulled a couple blankets out. I spread one out on the cold ground and motioned for the girl to sit. She moved to do as I asked but when I turned to reenter the forest she sprung up to stand once more looking in my direction. 

“I’ll be right back.” I stated, motioning for her to stay put.

When I returned she was still standing, not having moved since I’d left. I kneeled and got to work building a fire. 

“You going to stand there all night?” I joked as I stacked the logs. I saw her feet shuffling on the ground but she remained standing. “Sit down,” I laughed. “You’re stressing me out.”

She hesitated briefly before sitting on one small corner of the blanket. She sat hugging her legs to her chest and laid her chin on her knees. She shifted her gaze from watching me to looking through the trees around us into the darkness. But every time I turned to look at her she would look down at her feet. When the fire was burning strong enough not to blow out on its own I stood up to retrieve the pack I’d left a ways away. The girls head shot up as I stood. She unlinked her arms from around her legs but before she could stand up again, remembering how hard it had been to get her to relax in the first place, I held my hand out stopping her.

“I’m not going anywhere, just relax.”

She slumped back to her seated position but watched me warily as I walked around her to fetch the pack. I grabbed it and the second blanket before making my way back to my side of the fire. I gently dropped the blanket to cover her shoulders as I stepped around her. She flinched at first but soon she sank into the fabric, grabbing each end and wrapping it around her arms and legs tighter, so only her head remained uncovered.

“You looked cold.” I explained taking my spot beside her once more. 

She eyed me before looking to the mostly empty blanket she was sitting on. When her eyes returned to me I shrugged.

“That’s yours for the night. No offence, but you look like you could use the sleep more than me.”

She fidgeted, looking to the blanket then to the woods around us. She noticed my eyes on her and she ducked her head, resting her chin again on her blanket covered knees, staring at the fire. A few minutes passed and she shuffled closer to the fire, dragging the blanket beneath her as she moved. She glanced quickly at me before staring back at the fire. I wasn’t sure but I think she was making sure I was okay with her movements. Asking my permission if it was okay?

‘You won’t move until I tell you you can.’ 

The words her previous owner had said rang out in my mind. I groaned, the realization finally hitting me that I owned this girl. I hadn’t even processed that fact until this moment. I was too busy congratulating myself on figuring out how to get us both out of that situation safely I hadn’t thought of the consequences. What was I supposed to do with her? I didn’t want a slave, I hated the thought that I was now one of those people I despised. But I couldn’t abandon her. Even if she was in any kind of shape to look after herself, which she most certainly wasn’t. Did she even have anywhere she could go?

I doubted it. If she had been in a nice home they wouldn’t have let her go to the auction in the first place, and it looked like it had been awhile since she’d seen any sort of kindness from anyone. 

I reached into the pack once more and pulled out a loaf of bread and canteen of water. I held both out to her.

Her eyes flashed to the bread and her hand shot out of the blanket faster than I thought the girl was capable of moving. Her hand paused between us, fingers twitching. I held it further out to her and she took that as permission and tentatively grabbed it and brought it up to her nose to smell it. Her eyes fluttered closed for a brief second before she opened them again when I rattled the canteen in her direction. She took that gently from my hand as well. She looked to be deciding which was more important, water or the food. 

Finally making a decision, she set the bread down on the blanket beside her before flipping the cap off of the canteen. I stared in wonder as she poured some water into her hand before bringing her hand to her mouth and sipping the liquid from her skin. She must have spilled more than half on the ground and on the blanket. She went to repeat the process and I couldn’t help myself. It was such a ridiculous picture I started laughing, and not a small chuckle either. I burst out laughing, shaking my head as I gripped at my stomach, willing the convulsions to stop.

When I finally calmed my breathing after several failed attempts I looked to my new companion. She had an uncharacteristically surprised look on her face. I had gotten used to her blank expression the past hour I found myself smiling at her.

“How can you not know how to drink from a canteen?” I asked, shaking my head at her again.

She gave me an sharp indignant look before quickly wiping it from her face. When I didn’t react or comment on it she held the canteen between us and opened her mouth. I thought she was finally going to speak but she snapped her jaw closed with a sharp click of her teeth. She looked to the canteen then to me, trying to communicate something. It would be so much easier if she would just speak. I withered as soon as I thought it. She might be mute for different reasons than just not wanting to talk. 

She didn’t give up there though. She pointed to the canteen then to me and when I still didn’t get it she pointed at it again and held it closer to me, lifting her brow in what looked like a silent query.

“Is it mine?” I asked.

She nodded her head. Pointing at the canteen then to me she made a motion to drink out of it but kept it held away from her own lips. Looking at me questioningly again. I think I understood her.. 

“Yes, I drink out of it. That's what it’s for, to drink from.”

She grimaced before pointing to the canteen, feigning taking a drink then pointing at herself, she shook her head in the negative. 

“You don’t want to drink from it?” She shook her head again and sighed, shoulders dropping in defeat. “You’re not trying to say you won’t drink from it because I do?” Her expression was positive, but then she ended up shrugging. Not quite. “You won’t drink because you think I don’t want you to drink from my canteen?” I tried again. 

Nodding her head she sat up straighter, a smile almost breaking from her lips at me understanding her.

I glared at her. How could she think I would care about something so stupid. Her shrinking back into the blankets as she set the canteen between us caught my eye. Her change in demeanor was so sudden I was at a loss to what caused it at first. But as I looked at her, trying to catch her gaze only to have her stare back to the fire ignoring me I realized she’d taken my angered reaction the wrong way. She thought I was mad at her, and I wasn’t. I was mad that there was something in her past that made her scared enough to not be able to do something as simple as drink from a damn canteen. Just because I was a human and her a faunus didn’t mean we couldn’t share.

I snatched for the canteen and held it out to her. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean it. I wasn’t mad at you.” She gave me a sideways glance but didn’t move to take the canteen back. “Really, I’m not good at hiding my expressions, I was thinking of something else. I swear I’m not mad. You can drink from my canteen all you want. I don’t care.” She eyed me skeptically. I wiggled the canteen in my hand and smiled reassuringly. “I don’t know who told you it was a bad thing to do, and maybe more than one human feels that way, but I don’t.” 

She took it from my hand and brought it up to her mouth. She paused to look at me before it touched her lips and I nodded encouraging her to continue. She drank about half of it before dropping it from her mouth. I was going to tell her she could finish it as it looked like she was still thirsty but instead I held my hand out, silently asking for it back.

She handed it to me right away and watched as I brought it to my own lips and took a generous gulp. I smiled and handed it back. 

“You can finish it off. I’m done now.”

The look she gave me told me she knew I hadn’t been thirsty, she knew what I was doing. But she didn’t seem upset. In fact, she seemed to relax a little more. 

“You should eat that.” 

She followed my gaze and lifted the bread to her nose once more. She opened her mouth to take a bite but paused, looking to the bag and back at me. She motioned to the bag and then to the bread. 

“No, there’s no more.” I answered, thinking she may want or need more than one loaf. She did look very hungry. “We should get home by tomorrow evening if all goes well and there’s more food there. I wasn’t planning on being more than one more day on this mission or I would have bought more supplies in Murk.” I snorted. “Well before I gave all my money to that asshole.”

Her eyes widened and she basically shoved the loaf into my lap. Flustered, I held the bread back out to her but she just shuffled further away from me. 

“What’s wrong?”

Her jaw visibly clenched as she ground her teeth together and when she finally looked over to me I understood. The pleading, apologetic look she gave me said everything. She wasn’t going to eat my bread because it was her fault I couldn’t buy more.

“You’re very expressive for a mute.” I said softly. I shouldn’t have been surprised when the vacant look returned to her face. “No,” I pleaded. “How are we supposed to talk if you can’t speak and I can’t read your expressions?”

She relaxed her shoulders and nodded her head slowly. I handed her the bread again. “Eat.”

She broke it in half and handed me one piece. I ripped a small corner off and shoved it in my mouth before giving her the rest. Her lips pursed, unimpressed with my gallantry, but she reached for my share anyway. Our fingers touched and I pulled away as if I’d been burned.

“Sorry,” I said. “I know you don’t like being touched and stuff.”

Her pursed lips lifted into the first small smile. It lasted only a second before she started devouring the bread.

We sat in comfortable silence for many minutes after she’d finished off the food and drink. I tended the fire when it burned low, adding more logs than I would had it just been me. She seemed to shiver no matter how hot the fire burned.

“What’s your name?” I asked, curious to have something to call her.

Her brow furrowed in concentration before shrugging. 

“Well I guess it's probably not easy to tell me without a voice.” When she didn’t respond I continued. “Either way, it’s getting pretty late. You should really get some sleep. We have a full day of walking tomorrow if we don’t want to camp out again. Use the coat as a pillow, it’s what I do.”

She shook as the cold night air lapped at her bare skin when she let the blanket fall to remove the coat. Soon she was tucked between the two blankets, head resting on the folded up leather of my overcoat. She kept her eyes open, staring at the fire for many more minutes before I spoke up.

“If you’re trying to stay awake, stop it. I’ll keep watch and nothing is going to sneak up on you. I promise, for whatever that’s worth to you.”

Soon her eyelashes fluttered to brush softly at her cheeks. Her breathing slowed and evened out. And as she fell asleep two pointed ears poked out of the top of her head, previously hidden in her hair. How much concentration did it take to force them down all day was beyond me. They were covered in a black velvet fur, matching her hair. They kind of suited her I thought as I took in her full profile. I made a mental note not to mention them just yet. Obviously she was uneasy letting others see them. I watched over her the entire night. A few times she jerked in her sleep, having a nightmare of some sort. She always quieted before I could move to wake her though. 

“Hey,” I whispered leaning over her as the sun was beginning to rise from the east. She buried herself deeper into the blankets. I chuckled. “Hey, time to get up.” I said louder and her eyes popped open. Immediately her ears disappeared again.

She jumped and sat up, probably remembering the day before. I gave her some space to take in her surroundings. I packed up and made sure the fire and all its embers were burned out. As she stood I reached to grab the blankets and shoved them in the pack. Lifting the overcoat to hand back to her I motioned for her to put it on again. She silently did as I asked. I took one more glance around our makeshift camp before I was satisfied I wasn’t forgetting something. 

I smiled at her before ducking back onto the trail toward the main road. I heard her follow close behind.

I learned quickly that the expressive girl I’d met the night before was trapped behind a vacant mask in the light of day. I tried to strike up a few conversations but none sparked her interest enough to answer. If I asked her to do something she did it immediately. She tried to walk behind me like the night before but I asked her to walk beside me and that’s where she stayed and still was five hours later. 

When other travelers passed us she kept her eyes glued to the ground directly in front of her, but when we were alone she looked around us at the trees and paths we passed. She looked to the birds as they flew overhead and watched a rabbit dash off into the tall grass of a field when we came upon it suddenly around a bend in the path. When we came to a stream I grabbed the canteen out of the pack and moved to fill it. She followed me there as well. 

My hopes that the girl would relax again once the sun set and we were home, and the thought that she might shrink back in fear were the only things stopping me from voicing my annoyance with her. She just seemed so irritatingly robotic.

“Do you need a break?” I asked remembering, only after we’d traveled three quarters of the day, that she wasn’t in the best health for long treks and probably wasn’t used to the kind of exertion I was. I tried to keep my pace down but several times caught myself in my usual stride. She’d kept up but her legs were shorter than mine so I knew it wasn’t a comfortable pace for her.

She turned to me from the squirrel in a tree that had captured her attention. Her blank expression remained and she gave me no indication if she wanted to stop or not.

“Do you?” I asked again, thinking she just didn’t hear my question.

Apparently she had, she just chose not to respond. A nod would be sufficient. I wasn’t asking her to actually verbally answer. Frustrated I threw my hands up in the air. I pointed to a decent sized boulder on the side of the road. 

“Sit.” I said pointing to it. She moved to obey immediately. I grabbed the canteen from my pack and held it out to her. She looked at it but didn’t reach out for it. “Drink.” I commanded again.

She drank about half before she stopped. She licked the residual moisture from her lips and flipped the cap back on the canteen before handing it back to me. 

She continued to sit, observing the small rodents and birds flitting in and out of the grass and brush, for half an hour. I stood between her and the road the entire time, disheartened. I thought I was getting somewhere with her the night before but today proved I was most certainly mistaken. 

I motioned with my hand for her to follow and started down the road once more. She jogged to catch up with me, coming to match my pace as she took up her position to my right. We walked in silence for a couple more hours before I turned off the path onto another game trail. She followed obediently behind me. Another half hour and the path widened to allow her to step beside me once more. 

I halted my feet which caught her off guard. She took five whole strides before she noticed I wasn’t at her side anymore. Her head whipped around, noticing me lagging behind her. She ducked her head and basically leapt the distance back to my side, staring at her feet on the road once more. 

Angry at the whole situation, hungry, tired and annoyed at her lack of interaction to me I trudged forward once more. After that she stopped observing the surrounding landscape. She kept her eyes on the road in front of her, only glancing my way to make sure I was still at her side. 

I knew I shouldn’t have done it, could see that she had reacted to my actions of forcing her to disobey me in a negative light. But I wanted to coerce a reaction out of her. 

Congratulations Yang, you did it. I praised. Now she’s even scared to look at the trees incase you do it again. 

The frown on my face only disappeared when the rear of my cottage came into view as I ducked under another branch. In the fading light of dusk I could just see the outline of my single story home. I fell into my well practiced routine of checking the garden, to make sure no rodents or Grimm had come to rip it up. I checked that all the windows and shutters were intact as I walked around to the front where the door was situated. I was too tired and the sky was darkening too quickly for a complete sweep of the land. I would take a walk around in the morning I decided, but I didn’t see any marks indicating any Grimm or people had come around so I figured it was safe to assume we wouldn’t be ambushed in the middle of the night.

I unlocked the door and walked in. I left the door open for my companion to follow but when I turned to take the pack off my shoulders and set it on the couch she was hovering in the doorway, door still wide open. 

She’d been so obedient on following the exact measurements between us all day it surprised me to find her not obeying now. It took me a moment to realize she was waiting for permission to enter. Was this how it was to own a slave? Would I have to tell her what to do every second of the day? 

“Come in.” I commanded quietly, tired of this game already.

Of course she obeyed, she stepped forward then turned to put a hand on the door. She looked back at me questioningly.

“Yes, close the door.” I groaned, bringing a hand up to rub at the back of my neck. I wanted to just crawl into bed and sleep, but realized I couldn’t because I had to look after her first. I mean she hadn’t even slept without me telling her she could the night before.

“Sit down and rest.” I pointed to the couch before turning to the fireplace. I worked at starting up a fire to warm the chilled house. When I was finished I stood, stretching. I was so tired, I hadn’t slept much in the last few nights, trying to catch up to Ash and Drake and I hadn’t slept at all the night before, watching over her. 

“Let’s get you looked after.” I said, turning around. She stood when I motioned for her to do so. I started to reach out before remembering I wasn’t supposed to. I dropped my arms back to my sides. “Take off the coat.”

She did as she was instructed and held it out to me. I took it but immediately threw it onto the couch. I looked her over, the clothes she wore would definitely be burned. They were no use to anyone. They didn’t keep her warm, were no protection from any of the elements and barely covered what they were intended to cover. There were entire chunks of fabric missing, and there wasn’t a single hand sized section that didn’t have a rip or hole in it. Her shoes were no better. The sole of one looked to be completely worn and was tearing away from the rest of the shoe. The other sole was completely missing, and there were gaping holes at each tip that showed off a set of grime covered toes. 

I shifted my gaze to her body. Her translucent skin proved she’d spent most of the time indoors, and was scattered with bruises. Where the bruises weren’t evident the dirt was. Looking closer to her unkempt hair I realized it was mostly a matted mess. The black sheen had long ago vanished and was replaced with a dull, almost gray appearance. 

I let my arms fall to my side and let out a long breath of exasperation. 

“First things first. You need to get cleaned up.” I walked around the couch and headed to the back of the cottage. “Follow me.” I said over my shoulder, remembering she was probably still glued to the spot in front of the couch. 

I stopped at a cupboard to pull a couple clean towels out before entering the room at the far corner. She came as far as the doorway before halting, waiting for my next command. I left her there for the time being. Opting for a bath instead of a shower I turned the taps, making sure the water was warm but not enough to scald her probably very delicate skin. I added some lavender, as I thought it might calm her a little more. She was a ball of nerves and her tension was enough to give me a stress induced headache. 

Stepping back when the tub was full I motioned for her to enter. She came to stand beside the tub, looking at me expectantly.

“Take off your, uh-“ I looked to the rags hanging off her once more, “clothes?”

Immediately her jaw clenched but she reached to lift her top over her head. She dropped the loose pants and stepped out of the shoes. When she was done she stood once more, staring straight ahead over my shoulder. It surprised me that she was so forward with her nudity. I tried not to look, knowing she was in a vulnerable state, but I did catch how her ribs poked sharply into the skin clinging to them and how her hip bones protruded from her tiny waist. 

“Do you need help getting into the tub?” I asked keeping my eyes off her bare skin. “It’s slippery.”

She waved a hand in front of my vision and I looked at her. She pointed at herself then to the tub. 

“Yes, why would I ask you to get undressed if I didn’t run the bath for you, silly.” I smiled, finally seeing her trying to converse for the first time all day. 

She pursed her lips before carefully lifting one leg into the tub. She grimaced as the water touched her ankle. 

“Oh, is it too hot?” I asked, reaching forward, my hand hovering over her arm. She shook her head and climbed the rest of the way into the tub, sinking down into the water. Gray wisps floated from her body into the clear water surrounding her as dirt began dislodging from her skin. I handed her a cloth and soap. “Here, you work on getting cleaned up as best you can and I’ll be back in a bit.”

I left the small room and made my way to the kitchen in the adjacent corner. I quickly went about making us some soup before bed. I was more tired than hungry but after seeing how literally emaciated she was unclothed I didn’t feel comfortable waiting until morning to get her eating. And I had a feeling she wouldn’t eat unless I was as well. I threw some precooked meat from the fridge in the pot with some broth and heated that up while I went about cutting up carrots, celery, onions and potatoes. I threw them all in and stirred. I added a bit of salt before putting a lid on it and turning the stove to low heat to let it simmer. It wouldn’t be my best meal, but it would have to do.

I made my way back to the bathroom where I’d left her. I paused at the doorway instead of entering. Her back was to me so I don’t think she knew I’d come back yet. The sections of her spine stuck out so I was able to see every vertebrae as it snaked up the middle of her back to where it disappeared into her tangled tresses. She was leaning forward and had her hands running through her hair at the top of her head. I thought at first she was trying to get the tangles loosened but then remembered the night before and the pair of ears that emerged only when she was asleep. 

I knocked, not wanting to startle her and her hands fell to the water in front of her, splashing a good portion of dirty water over the side and onto the floor.

“So jumpy.” I picked a towel up off the counter and spread it out on the floor to soak up the spill. I looked to her soapy head and then to her eyes. “I don’t know why you hide them.” Her eyes went wide and her spine straightened. I chuckled. “Not as easy to keep them pinned when you sleep.” I stated. And she frowned. “Like I said, I don’t know why you hide them. If you want, then go ahead. But if it’s for my benefit for whatever reason, don’t. I really don’t mind them.”

I reached for my shampoo and when I turned around she was scrubbing at her cat ears again. She eyed me and when I didn’t react she continued. When she was done I handed her the shampoo. She took it and started lathering the rest of her head. 

“Wash it the best you can. That's going to take more time to untangle than we have tonight.” Nodding her head she sunk into the tub. Murky water hid her from view but when she emerged the soap was washed away. I looked to the cloudy water once more then to her. She watched me warily. I sighed before reaching in and pulling the plug. The water started to disappear, more and more of her skin becoming visible as it retreated. I sighed. “Well staying in that water any longer would have the opposite effect of what we want I think.” I reached to fill a jug with some warm water. “Stand up.”

She stood carefully on shaking legs. I averted my eyes, still trying to respect her privacy as much as I could in the moment. I handed her the jug. “Rinse off.”

We repeated the process several times, me filling the jug and her getting all the dirty water off her skin as she could reach. 

I stood with arms outstretched as she stepped out of the tub, in case she slipped. But once she was standing steadily on the floor I handed her a towel. 

“Dry off,” I’ll be right back. I bent to gather her old rags and she reached out for them as I stood. “No, we just got you half cleaned. We are not putting them back on. They are filthy.” My nose turned up. “And they smell something awful.”

She ducked her head then went back to swiping the moisture from her skin. I left her to her privacy as I made my way up the small set of stairs built into the wall beside the couch. I pushed the door to the loft that was my bedroom and made my way to my dresser. I opened a few drawers and gathered two sets of clean clothes. On my way back to the bathroom I threw her old clothes outside. I’d deal with them in the morning. 

“Here you go.” I said entering the small room. She jumped at my sudden entrance, holding the damp towel to her chest, covering herself from my view. I held out both sets of clothes, one in each hand for her to choose from. Each pile held a simple shirt and a pair of shorts. She’d have to wear my clothes for the meantime. Most of them would be much too large for her, but until I made my way back into town it’s all I had. 

She reached out to one pile and picked up the black shirt. She felt the fabric in her hands before bringing the cloth up to her nose. Her eyes fluttered shut as she breathed in more deeply. 

“It’s just a shirt.” I chuckled, setting the shorts on the side of the tub. “When you’re dressed come out to the kitchen, I have soup for us to eat.”

I placed the other set of clean clothes onto the counter before leaving her to herself.

I dished two bowls of soup and laid some bread out with butter from the fridge. She emerged from the bathroom not long after that and as expected the shirt covering her hung off her, more than a couple sizes too big. The shorts had strings to tighten the fabric so I knew those would fit but the shirt hid all but the last two inches of the shorts from view. I motioned for her to take a seat across from me at the table. She sat down and quickly lifted the spoon to her mouth. 

“Watch out-“ I tried to warn but she winced as the hot liquid touched her lips. “It’s hot.” I finished too late.

A tongue poked out to touch soothe her burned lips before she tried again. Lifting the spoon back up she blew on the liquid before tentatively sipping it up. Satisfied she was not going to injure herself more I turned to my own soup. I grabbed for a piece of bread and spread some butter on it, holding it out to her. She took it and dipped it in the soup. When she closed her mouth around it her eyes closed. Her shoulders relaxed and a pleasured look crossed her face. 

“That good?” I asked, bringing another slice of bread to my own mouth. She ducked her head and my eyes were drawn to the cat ears on top of her head. She’d not tucked them back into her hairline but they weren’t sitting straight up either. They were dipped to either side of her head and I wondered if it was just because she was tired or if it meant something else. 

Not wanting to call more attention to her ears incase she decided to hide them again I decided not to voice my curiosities. There would be time for that later.

“Do you want some more?” I asked when she’d finished her bowl. She didn’t answer in a positive or a negative but did look up at me. “I made a lot, thinking you’d be hungry.” I lifted her bowl waiting for her to answer. She didn’t. Instead she brought her hands into her lap and looked to the vacant spot on the table where her bowl once was. 

Annoyance bubbled up in my again. I closed my eyes and took a deep breath. I moved and placed my bowl into the sink before filling hers back up from the pot on the stove. I brought another couple slices of bread with me and placed them down with more force than I intended in front of her. 

“Eat if you want, there’s more in the pot if you need more.” I growled as I stepped passed her. She flinched. “I’m going to have a shower now.”

The water felt amazing as it washed away the dirt as well as the tension from my shoulders. I stayed under the warm stream for longer than needed trying to regroup. 

Anger was always the easiest emotion for me to express. And I knew I had a habit of becoming angry when I couldn’t process other emotions. Being tired, hungry, sad, annoyed, or any negative emotion always came out of me in anger and rage. It was always how I processed them. It led to many failed relationships and friendships. Being someone who was only ever bright and happy or a raging monster wasn’t something others could easily deal with. It was why I preferred my solitude. I could be and express myself however I wanted and not have to worry about how it affected anyone else. Or at least it was a big part of why I chose the isolation of the wilds to the crowds of cities and villages. 

But It wasn’t fair to her. She had no say in being stuck with me. She had no say in a lot of aspects of her life. And although I knew my anger would never reach the point I would harm anyone not deserving of it, she didn’t. I’d seen how she reacted to my annoyance, becoming withdrawn, and how she reacted to the small bouts of anger I’d expressed. She feared me. I terrified her and I wasn’t even all that angry. What would happen when I did get angry, like actually enraged? What would she do then? I didn’t want to think about it. I just couldn’t let myself get angry at her anymore. 

I sighed. Don’t get angry. It sounded so simple. I snorted derisively as I cut off the flow of water. I quickly dried and got dressed. I forced a smile on my face as I walked into the main area of the cottage. She was standing at the stove and as she heard me enter she froze, stiff spined, not turning to look at me. 

I laughed, though it sounded forced to my own ears, but she seemed to relax enough to turn to face me. 

I came to stand beside her and looked into the pot. It was mostly empty. She looked embarrassed as her gaze wandered to the refilled bowl in her hands. 

“Hey,” I said softly, pulling her golden gaze back to mine. “I said eat as much as you want, but-“ I took the bowl from her hands and dumped its contents back into the pot. She took a step back, vacant look back on her face, lips pressed into a firm line. “You don’t want to make yourself sick.” I continued, filling the bowl back up with just broth. “It’s probably been awhile since your stomach has had this much, huh?”

I held the broth out to her and she took it. She looked back into my eyes, a more delicate expression on her face, before she nodded and retreated to the table once more. I cleaned up and put the rest of the soup into a container in the fridge. “You can eat the rest of that tomorrow if you get hungry before I make anything else. Don’t be shy, you don’t need my permission to eat it if you’re hungry.” I turned to lean against the counter observing her while she ate in silence.

She looked up at me but didn’t nod and I had the feeling she wouldn’t eat it unless I placed it in a bowl right in front of her. Baby steps, she’d been helping herself to it when I’d been in the shower. That’s a step forward kind of. 

When she finished she brought her bowl to the sink and reached out to turn the tap on. I reached over and grabbed the bowl from her, stepping closer she did what I thought she would, she retreated back to avoid my touch. I smiled as I washed her bowl. She looked at me confused. 

Too drained to have the whole I don’t want you as a slave conversation I motioned for her to follow me once I placed the bowl back into the shelf where it belonged. I turned the lights off as I went, placing another log on the fire we climbed the stairs to the loft and I pointed to the bed. 

“You can sleep here.” She touched the soft covers gently before turning to sit down. “I’ll sleep on the couch.” I said as I turned to leave her to rest. She jumped up from the bed as if it had burned her. She shook her head side to side and stepped away from it. She gave me the same look as she’d given me the night before when she shoved the bread back in my hands. 

She wasn’t going to take my bed and make me sleep on the couch. 

I was too exhausted to fight. 

“You can have the couch if you want then.” I stepped around her to sit on the side of the bed. “There are blankets and a couple pillows in the chest beside the couch.”

Instead of departing to the lower level she backed herself into the corner beside the bed. She sat down and hugged her knees like she had in front of the fire the night before and stared at me. 

“You are not seriously going to sleep there are you?” I asked bewildered. I barely noticed the tiny shrug she gave as an answer. “You won’t take the bed,” she shook her head. “And you aren’t going to sleep on the couch?” She shook her head once more. “Why?”

She looked to the door then shrank further back into her corner, determined. It reminded me of the reason she’d finally followed me into the treed path. 

“You don’t want to be alone?” An exasperated sigh escaped her lips and it was the loudest noise I’d heard from her so far. She buried her face into her knees hiding from my scrutinizing stare. “Fine.”

I stood and trudged down the stairs, grabbing the pillows and all the blankets out of the chest, my travel pack, and back of the couch, I returned to the loft with my bounty in hand. It surprised me to find her still in the corner. I half expected her to have come after me, she’d been my little shadow for over twenty four hours now.

“Get up,” I said as I dropped the pile of blankets to the floor. She did and reached out to grab a blanket. She started folding it, understanding what I was intending. “Wait.” I grabbed the heavy top cover on my bed and folded that, placing it first on the floor. “There, that will give some cushion between you and the floor.”

We worked to build her a little bed and though it didn’t look as comfortable as mine, in the end it actually looked better than what the couch would have offered her. I turned on the lamp resting on my nightstand. It was on the opposite side of the bed as where she had claimed as her own so my bed and profile cast a shadow over her. She crawled in between the blankets, covering her legs, but remained sitting, leaning against the wall behind her. Looking at her, she looked healthier than the night before. It was amazing what a bath and some food could do to someone’s colouring. Her skin looked less pasty and she didn't have a half starved look to her face anymore. 

Glancing up to her visible faunus feature I remembered how knotted her hair was. I stood and made my way back to my dresser and grabbed my hairbrush from it’s top. I ran its bristles through my hair, working out the few minuscule knots I found before I was satisfied. Turning out the room light, so the lamp was all that lit the room, I made my way to stand beside her makeshift bed. “Here,” I said holding out the brush. “Try to get some of those knotts out. I can’t imagine that being at all comfortable.” She pushed the brush back towards my body and shook her head. “Do we have to repeat the canteen conversation?” I asked playfully. I was learning I was able to hold off my annoyance when she wasn’t using that blank stare. At least she was communicating in some way.

She paused, considering again, like the night before, but she reached out and took the brush from my hand. She brought as much hair as she could over her shoulder and started brushing. 

I returned to bed, grabbing a book from my nightstand, and crawled under the covers. I read as she untangled her locks. It was a comfortable silence and I found it was a pleasant change to not be alone at night for once. I peeked over the top of my book frequently to watch her. She was determined and meticulous in her efforts to untangle the knots trapping her hair. She worked from one side to the other, wincing as the hair pulled at her scalp. It was almost an hour before she finished. I looked up from my page when I heard her set the brush down. 

“Get most of them out?” She nodded, running her fingers through her hair in answer. “That must feel worlds better.” She gave me that same small smile as the night before. I wondered if she’d go back to her vacant withdrawn demeanor in the morning. Maybe she had split personalities, one for the day one for night? Or maybe she just felt more comfortable at night.

She eyed the book in my hand. “Do you like stories?” I asked holding it up for her to see the cover. A knight stood on the edge of a cliff, looking out into the battle raging in the valley beneath him. 

She shrugged but gave no committal answer.

“Did I ever end up introducing myself to you?” I asked not remembering me ever giving her my name. She shook her head and I chuckled. “Sorry, a lot has happened in a very short time. My name is Yang.” She mouthed my name silently to herself. “I wish you could tell me yours.” I sighed. “I’m not liking the whole waving a hand in your face to get your attention and ‘Hey You’ seems a little dehumanizing.”

She reached up to tap at her cat ear. Not human, was the obvious point. 

“You know what I mean.” When she continued to give me an unsure look I continued. “Or, whatever.” I looked to my nightstand and saw a pen. “Oh, I know.” I grabbed it and reached into the drawer of the nightstand for the pad of paper I kept there. I turned and held them out to her. “Write your name for me.”

The bewildered look she gave me had me shrinking back. I remembered what she was, having almost forgotten in the past few hours. 

“You can’t read or write can you?” She shook her head. Sighing in frustration I threw the pen and paper back in the drawer and slammed it closed. She jumped before shrinking further into her corner. “Sorry.” I whispered. 

“I need something to call you.” I sighed. “What did the others call you?”

She tilted her head at me curiously before holding her wrists forward, in the same way she had pretending to be shackled. She lifted them up emphasizing them. “Slave, they called you Slave didn’t they?”

She nodded her head, dropping her hands to wrap around her legs, laying her temple on her knees and looking at me through half lidded eyes. 

“Well I can’t call you that.” I took in her profile, half hidden in the blackness my shadow cast over her corner. I looked to her head, her uneven hair had more shine than it had before her bath. “Black hair,” I whispered. Her faunus ears twitched my way, straining to hear my words. Black hair, black ears, and she’d chosen the black shirt. She was more comfortable at night, more comfortable in the corner where the shadows hid her. 

“Black, hmmm” I said out loud. “Well that’s not very good. Black, blacken, bla-“ I smiled, tilting my head observing her. “How about Blake?” I asked.

She lifted her head and her ears twitched again. She mouthed it silently to herself as she did with my name. 

“If you don’t like it, I can think of something else. It will just be until you can find somehow to tell me what your name is.” She nodded. “Blake.” The small smile returned to the corners of her mouth. “Blake.” I nodded, liking the sound of it. “Okay, Blake. Let’s go to sleep.”

That soft smile she’d given me grew a little wider as she slipped further into the blankets. She turned to her side facing me but wasn’t looking at me. Before I turned out the light I saw her mouth her new name again and smile wider as she brought her blanket up to her chin. She closed her eyes, smile still on her face. 

I turned the light out and slipped under my own covers.

“Goodnight, Blake.” I whispered into the dark.


End file.
